The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-16
FINE PHRASES AND pARsN1Ps.


The New York Sun copies from tho Indian
apolis Journal paragraph of an article upon
the Democratic opposition to civil-service re-
form, the opening sentence of which was
''It is worthy of remark that the Demo
cratic attacks on civil service reform are based
entirely on the fact that it stands in the way
of Immediately filling all the offices with Dem
ocrats,"-
And comments upon it thus:
''This is as near the truth as it would be to
say that the Hon. John c. New desires the
election of the Hon. Simon Coy to the presi-
dency, or that Indiana went Republican last
year because the Hooser Democrats love
Grover Cleveland. The Democratic attacks
on pig-tail civil-service reform are based on
the fact that it is inconsistent with the DEM
ocratic- Republican principle unconstitutional
as interfering with freedom of appointment
and tending to produce an official aristocracy
1t is a hateful foreign importation, not gen
Ulne growth of the American spirit. The
spoils system. called, is the natural and
legitimate product of government by parties.
The attempt to substitute for that system the
process of unnatural selection by irresponsible
boards, is change that lessons party and Off
cial responsibility"
And the Sun adds:
''Our esteemed contemporary, the Indian
annapolis Journal, either does not read Demo
cratic newspapers or its memory reverses the
facts"
There never was better example of the
truth of the old adage that fine words or
phrases butter no parsnips. No one is de-
ceived by the fine phrasing of the Sun. not
even the Sun itself The Sun knows that its
objection to Cleveland's administration has
been and is, that those who are called ''the bows
in the trenches are not sufficiently recognized
in the distribution of patronage. All its
sounding sentences are receivable into this,
and if not, then they are absolutely meaning
less.
The Sun says "the indianapolis Journal
does not read Democratic newspapers" WE'LL
let US see about that. There is Democratic
newspaper published in indianapolis. 1t is
cheek by jowl with the Sun in opposition to
Mr. Cleveland and in advocacy of Governor
Hill. 1t rates itself as intensely Democratic,
and is considered to be democratic" even by
so high an authority as the Sun itself. By
strange coincidence, explainable only upon
the theory that their mutual Democracy leads
them into the same field of thought, the Sem
tinel copied the identical extract from the
Journal that attracted the attention of the
New York Sun. We copy extract and reply
from our neighbor, the Sentinel:
1t is worthy of remark tina. the Democratic attacks
on ciyservice reform based entirely the fact
that it stands In the way of Immediately filling all the
offices with Democrats.-The journal.
And is that not enough to justify attack
We think it is.
| It will be observed that the Sentinel has the
courage of its convictions, and only a day or
two ago the Sentinel printed an editorial on
the civil-service question in which, after copy
ing from one Of its euphemistic, phrase making
contemporaries, it bluntly says:
''The Sentinel, for one does not seek fine
phrases to cloak its meaning. We very cheer
fully admit to be 'the gist of the matter that
| the President does not give enough offices to
Democrats We have no "dim notion" how
criticisms of the President for not having
filed all the Offices with Democrats impress
the people. We are very sure that the people
at large agree that the offices belong to the
| Democrats"
We commend the frankness and honesty of
the Sentinel to the word -mongering Sun They
both mean the same; they both have the
same ideas; they both and equally dislike the
administration of Mr.. Cleveland. Why should
they not both be equally brave and honest in
their expressions? The Journal submits te
the Sun that when it says 'the Indianapolis
Journal either does not read Democratic
newspapers, or its memory reverses
the facts" it does not speak by the book The
Indianapolis Sentinel, paper engaged in tht
same congenial occupation as the Sun, &C
knowledges that the objection to Cleveland.
civil-service reform is because "the President
does not give enough Offices to Democrats.
That is all there is in the Democratic obiec
ton to both the law and the President; but i
is enough. The Democratic party is an or
ganized appetite, and the President who vii
not give the Offices to ''the boys in tn
trenches" will be told, at the next convention
by his party, as Cassie was by Othello-
"never more be officer of mine"